title: Combination of platelet count and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is a useful predictor of postoperative survival in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the usefulness of a novel inflammation-based prognostic system, named the COP-NLR (COmbination of Platelet count and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio), for predicting the postoperative survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The COP-NLR was calculated on the basis of data obtained on the day of admission: patients with both an elevated platelet count (>30 × 10(4) mm(-3)) and an elevated NLR (>3) were allocated a score of 2, and patients showing one or neither were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four-hundred and eighty patients were enrolled. Multivariate analysis of clinical characteristics selected by univariate analysis showed that the COP-NLR (1, 2/0) (odds ratio, 0.464; 95% confidence interval, 0.267-0.807; P=0.007) had an association with cancer-specific survival, along with pathology, lymph node metastasis, the serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, C-reactive protein and albumin, and the Glasgow Prognostic Score. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test revealed that the COP-NLR was able to divide such patients into three independent groups (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The COP-NLR is considered to be a useful predictor of postoperative survival in patients with CRC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan. mm-ishizuka@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000473:pathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome